


Strange bedfellows

by ylc



Series: Of building tensions and their many consequences [5]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Doubt, Implied Relationships, Other, Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-24 10:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21337051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ylc/pseuds/ylc
Summary: Mistrust makes strange bedfellows.
Relationships: Beelzebub/Gabriel (Good Omens), Gabriel & Michael (Good Omens)
Series: Of building tensions and their many consequences [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507208
Comments: 18
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And here’s a new installment! This one is in two parts, since it runs from two POV’s and I thought it worked better like that :P  
Enjoy?

Something has changed.

What prompted the change, Beelzebub isn’t sure. It’s odd, they think, that after all these months into their little… _arrangement_, now is when Gabriel has decided to start acting all weird, but outright asking what’s the matter doesn’t seem to be the way to go.

They tap their fingers against their desk, considering. There had been nothing noteworthy about their last encounter, at least nothing they can think of, not until the very end that is. They had woken up in an empty bed, as per usual, with a wide array of food on the table waiting for them, as per usual too but this time around there had been one Archangel missing. In his place, there had been a short note stating he was needed back in Heaven and the promise to get back to them soon.

That was four weeks ago and there had been nothing but radio silence ever since.

Now, it’s not that they communicate often in between meetings, but since their… _affair_ began, there has always been the occasional message or even the odd call. Nothing that could drag unwanted attention, of course, nothing truly meaningful, but _something_ all the same.

And now this.

The note is short, even shorter than they were before their _whatever_ started. The meeting place is odd too: it’s been months since they stepped into their usual bar, prefering to go straight to the hotel. Something has indeed changed and Beelzebub isn’t sure how they feel about the development.

They toy with the card absentmindedly, considering. It’s not written in Gabriel’s overly fancy calligraphy, but that’s not strictly unusual either: he does seem to have a small army of assistants who write and send messages in his stead. In fact, he rarely writes his notes himself (and Beelzebub might or might not keep the few he actually has in one of their desk drawers) but something about this one feels... odd. 

Nothing for it, of course. The only way to find out what exactly is going on inside the Archangel’s funny head is to go and meet him, even if they can’t shake off the feeling that something is amiss.

“Is there something wrong, my Lord?” Dagon asks and Beelzebub looks at their assistant. Loyalty is an odd quality to find in a demon, but a very useful one and, generally speaking, Beelzebub knows they can trust Dagon. Still--

“You said the message was delivered the usual way? There was nothing out of the ordinary?”

The Under Duke considers this long and hard, knowing full well just how much being careless might cost her. “Nothing at all, my Lord,” she answers finally, bowing politely. “Do you suspect foul play?”

_Do they?_ No-- Gabriel does not play that kind of games; he’s too straightforward for that. If he was planning on… _hurting_ them in some way, he’d have done that a long time ago and he certainly wouldn’t have fucked them silly a hundred times before that.

No, that kind of mind-fuckery is more of a demonic thing. Angels don’t have the patience for that.

“Should I call you some backup, my Lord? For when you go meet the Archangel?” Dagon questions softly, after a long and tense silence. Beelzebub shakes their head, making the note disappear with a distracted flicker of their wrist.

“No. I doubt there’s anything that feather brain can throw in my direction that I can’t handle.”

As it turns out, they’re more or less right.

* * *

Things on Earth have a tendency to change too quickly. Humans lives are short and so they don’t tend to stay static, changing their environment with them. But the bar still stands at the usual place and it’s filled with the same questionable patronage as ever.

That’s some kind of relief, Beelzebub thinks.

The barman raises his eyebrows when he sees them walk in, but hurries to prepare their usual drink, offering them a polite smile. Beelzebub nods in greeting, accepting the drink shortly after. “And here I thought we had seen the last of you,” the man tells them, curiosity rolling in waves off him. “But I guess this explains the person sitting at your usual booth.”

“What?” Beelzebub asks, honestly puzzled and the man gestures in the direction of their usual booth, where someone waits for them, sticking out like a sore thumb. “Michael,” they murmur, more than a little confused, something akin to fear gripping their chest.

The Archangel meets their gaze steadily, head tilted to the side a little as she observes them. Beelzebub tells themselves not to react, keeping their expression perfectly indifferent despite the fact that their unnecessary heart is beating rather maddly. Michael’s presence can not be a good thing and yet there’s no use in giving into panic: now, more than ever, they must proceed with caution.

“So you do know her,” the barman says, oddly solemn. “I knew she reminded me of someone.”

No, Beelzebub does not think there’s much of a resemblance between Gabriel and dear old Michael, but they suppose they know what the human means. Besides, there’s no point on feeling offended on Gabriel’s behalf-- he probably wouldn’t mind the comparison that much.

The demon Prince’s lips twist in an unhappy grimace, annoyance quickly replacing their earlier fear. Michael was the one who sent the note, that much is clear now and while that explains some things--

It raises more questions than it answers.

_Nothing for it,_ they think grimly, finishing their drink in one gulp before heading for the booth. They need to find out what’s going on and if they must talk to Michael in order to figure out what’s going on with Gabriel--

Well. What other choice do they have?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is, the second chapter! Enjoy!

Michael watches the Prince of Hell enter the bar and she arches an eyebrow as the demon stops at the bar to speak with the man serving the drinks. There’s a certain familiarity in both of their stances, which she supposes ought not to be terribly surprising: after all, Beelzebub was the one who choose this meeting place, according to Gabriel’s original report on the matter.

Still, the demon seems to be in almost  _ friendly _ terms with the human. Or as friendly as Beelzebub is capable, anyway. Odd, Michael thinks, but none of her concern, really.

Just then, the human points at her and the Prince finally looks in her direction. If Beelzebub is surprised at finding her instead of Gabriel waiting for them, they certainly don’t let it show and Michael pursues her lips unhappily: demons, as a general rule, are never afraid to show their emotions, making them so very easy to read and interact with, but this particular Prince has always been different.

_ No matter, _ the Archangel tells herself. Let Beelzebub keep their own secrets, they’re not the reason she’s here.

“Michael,” Beelzebub greets, infuriatingly calm and polite, taking a seat in front of her. “What’s your brother thinking, sending you in his stead? Scared, is he?”

Let it be said: Lord Beelzebub certainly knows how to fish for information. Michael smirks, leaning back on her seat. “Gabriel does not know I’m here.” Later, she’ll puzzle about Beelzebub’s statement about Gabriel being afraid, but at the moment, the words barely register.

“Ah,” Beelzebub says, nodding, as if they expected as much. “Keeping secrets, are we?” they smirk, a dangerous kind of smirk that immediately has Michael on high alert. Demons are treacherous beings and she’ll do well not to forget. “Is it wise to conduct secret meetings, given the political climate?”

Michael rolls her eyes, relaxing right away, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m not the one having secret  _ dangerous  _ _ rendezvous _ ,” she replies and Beelzebub’s eyes narrow, suspicious. “I’m here to ask for your… cooperation on a particular matter.”

Beelzebub snorts. “I won’t play the role of your new informant. Go chase one of my many  _ useless  _ minions if you want, but leave me out of your games.”

“I don’t like it any better than you,” Michael hisses, annoyed. As if she would chose to work with Beelzebub of all demons. “But it must be you, I’m afraid. Gabriel is hiding something and I want to know what.”

There’s a pause, short enough to go unnoticed by someone who’s not paying close attention, but Michael  _ does _ notice and she has to stop herself from smiling triumphantly.  _ Gotcha,  _ she thinks.

“Gabriel? Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?” Beelzebub says, their tone too tightly controlled, forcefully dismissive. So they do know something, but Michael already suspected as much: the real trouble will be to get them to spill the beans. “He wouldn’t know how to keep a secret if his life depended on it and if he ever did-- well, I imagine it’d be something terribly boring. I don’t--”

“I have it on a good source that he’s in love,” Michael interrupts sharply and her companion’s eyes go comically wide. Not what they were expecting, apparently, or maybe they simply weren’t expecting Michael to know that. 

“In-- In love?!” Beelzebub exclaims, something akin to panic in their tone, shaking their head in disbelief. Their surprise seems honest enough, so maybe that’s not what they know. Maybe they know Gabriel is seeing someone, maybe they know he’s sleeping with someone, but they hadn’t imagined there were actual feelings involved. “Surely not. I mean-- your source must be wrong.”

“No, I do not believe so,” Michael replies, annoyance growing. She’s not here to argue with a filthy demon, but she must endure if she’s going to get the answers she seeks. “I find it as disturbing as you do, I assure you.”

“Right,” the demon replies distractedly, looking for a waiter to ask for another drink, apparently. Why are they so affected? “And so you want to-- what? Aren’t you angels all for love and that nonsense?”

“In theory,” Michael replies with a wave of her hand, scrunching her nose in disgust as the waiter places a very questionable-looking drink in front of the demon Prince. “But Gabriel’s choice of partner leaves much to be desired.”

“You know who they are?” Beelzebub asks, finishing their drink in one gulp, signaling the waiter for another one.  _ Odd _ , Michael thinks. She wouldn’t venture a guess on what the demon is thinking, but they seem to be at odds with the…  _ revelation. _

“They must be,” Michael argues calmly, watching the other closely. “Why would Gabriel hide it otherwise? When I confronted him about it, he  _ lied  _ to me. To us! To the whole Council!”

“Fair point,” the Prince agrees, looking at everything but Michael, fingers tapping against the table. Michael is certain they know something, but they’re clearly not going to confess so easily. If it is because they want to annoy Michael or out some sense of  _ kinship  _ with Gabriel, she does not know. “But,  _ curious  _ as this all is… how is it any of my concern?”

Michael makes a face, unhappy. So that is what this is about. “I think he might be meeting someone in Earth. Since there are no unauthorized visits in between your scheduled meetings, I assume they must meet afterwards, hence my need for your… cooperation.”

“You want me to spy on your brother,” Beelzebub says, watching her funnily. They seem… amused, yes, but also… concerned? “Doesn’t seem very angelic.”

Michael bristles at the implication. “Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. If I must work with a demon to expose a traitor-- so be it.”

“If it gets you to sleep at night, sunshine,” Beelzebub replies with the slightest smirk. They continue to tap their fingers against the table, no doubt considering the matter from as many angles as possible. Lord Beelzebub is, above all, a decent strategist. “But what exactly is in for me? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I  _ loathe  _ your brother, but with him gone-- I’m not entirely sure I can tolerate any other of you angels. It seems unwise, to plot with you for his downfall.”

Michael pursues her lips. She had feared it’d come to this, but as she said, sacrifices must be made for the greater good and she’s willing to pay the price.

With a wave of her hand, a thermo appears on the table. Beelzebub watches it warily for a beat, before reaching for it carefully. They take off the lid, take a small whiff and push the item away immediately. “Are you threatening me, Michael?” they question, tone low and dangerous, eyes narrowed and the Archangel huffs, shaking her head.

“That’d be most unwise,” she replies calmly. “No, I’m offering you an unlimited supply of holy water, in case you should you ever feel the desire to stage another little Rebellion in Hell.”

“Unlimited?”

“Yes,” Michael says with a smile. “The insides are blessed, you see? So any water you pour in there-- well.”

Beelzebub stares at her for the longest time, considering. “You offer a fair trade, Michael,” they reply after what feels like a lifetime. “I shall see what I can do for you.”

“That’s all I ask,” Michael says, a dangerous smile on her lips. “I knew we would understand each other perfectly.”

This, Michael thinks as they shake hands in agreement, might be the beginning of a most productive association.

Or so she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, thoughts anyone?  
I suspect this wasn’t what most people had in mind after the last chapter but well… hopefully it was interesting all the same?  
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> So, thoughts anyone?  
Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be ready soonish ;)  
Thanks for reading!


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